KTTV News Director Kingsley Smith Exits

KTTV news director Kingsley Smith has resigned after two years on the job. Smith joined the Los Angeles Fox station in June 2011 from Fox’s WTXF Philadelphia, succeeding KTTVs longtime news director Jose Rios. He announced his departure to the KTTV newsroom yesterday afternoon. The station’s Assistant News Director Tom Searson will be filling in until a replacement is named. Search is already under way. “After 20 years with Fox Television Stations, Kingsley Smith has resigned from employment with the company and will be pursuing other opportunities,” KTTV General Manager Kevin Hale said in a statement. The move comes a day before the start of the November sweep. While not as crucial after the introduction of Local People Meters, the local sweeps are still important ratings periods where stations step up their efforts with an emphasis on human interest stories.

7 Comments

KTTV has been falling apart for years now. KTTV needs to re-vamp Good Day LA ASAP.

susie • on Oct 30, 2013 8:07 am

ALL MORNING NEWS IS BAD. ALL LOCAL NEWS IS BAD. ALL U.S. NEWS IS PATHETIC, IT’S NON NEWS. Local News is impossible to watch, the spray tans, self promotion, nonsense stories and plastic surgery…dreadful and embarassing.

stan • on Oct 30, 2013 8:07 am

Carlos Diaz is he still stumbling through the news?

stan • on Oct 30, 2013 8:07 am

Sorry i meant Carlos Amezcua is he still a mumbling through?

Rick C • on Oct 30, 2013 8:07 am

Actually, Amezcua is one of the smart hires KTTV has done in a long time when he was brought over from KTLA.

As for Smith, there had been rumors floating around that something was up. Staffers were not fond of Smith who took his mandate seriously by getting rid of as many warm bodies as possible. Further, he never promoted the type of in-house or on-air “team spirit” that works well on a local level and unintentionally pitted people against one another. That being said, he did seem to be a bit of a darling within the Fox Station Group upper brass ranks so many are puzzled at his departure.

Agree with the above poster, GDLA is unwatchable without Gillian and Dorothy. The brick set with sofa also looks like a college newscast. 5pm show with what’s his name – yikes. Like Liz H don’t understand why Fox doesn’t use her more. She’s hilarious and hot. Diaz is an old news pro in LA and under used also. Devine is always good and well liked. Pablo would be a great fit mornings.

Jed • on Oct 30, 2013 8:07 am

That seems to be the story for a lot of the FOX O&Os as the Chicago affiliate is going through some major changes as well, but bottom line, it probably won’t help them and they’ll jettison their 4th or 5th GM and ND in as many years a year from now.